The ‘tough’ call Dragons bosses must make to sign ‘experienced’ coach in club overhaul

Rugby league great Matty Johns has laid out exactly what the Dragons need to return their club to winning ways - and it all starts with one man.

The Dragons have been urged to target an experienced coach. Pic: Getty

Rugby league legend Matty Johns believes the Dragons need an “experienced” coach to return the Red V club to finals football and urged officials to target one man — Shane Flanagan.

Flanagan was an instrumental figure in the Sharks’ premiership in 2016, transforming the Cronulla club in the aftermath of the supplement saga.

The 57-year-old was also deregistered as a coach in 2018 for failing to adhere to the conditions of his 2014 suspension, but returned as the Dragons’ assistant in 2020.

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Most recently he worked as the Dragons’ list management consultant before becoming Anthony Seibold’s assistant at the Sea Eagles ahead of the 2023 season.

St George Illawarra chief executive Ryan Webb revealed on Sunday Flanagan was on the club’s list of potential candidates to fill the hole left after Anthony Griffin’s sacking.

“There isn’t a name that is off the table,’’ Webb told 2GB.

“The different candidates that remain, we’ve touched based with them before. In the last week or two, we focused in on Jason (Ryles), so all the (other) candidates that remain now, we’ll pick them back up.

“But there isn’t anyone that’s excluded.

“So any resistance in particular to Shane – who I’ve worked with myself and got along with really well and have a lot of respect for – he’s a name in that group, but it’s one of a few.”

Sea Eagles assistant coach Shane Flanagan is emerging as a top candidate for the Dragons. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Now, Johns has urged Dragons powerbrokers to sign a coach who is willing to make tough decisions that could turn the club’s fortunes around.

“I’ll be honest. I think the next couple of years at the Dragons is a job for an experienced bloke,” Johns said on the Matty Johns show.

“Shane Flanagan, a Michael Maguire, a Des Hasler. I just think even player-wise, there’s some big decisions in the next couple of years that would make it difficult for a rookie coach.

“Put it this way, if I was on the board at the Dragons and I looked and I thought that Dean Young is a future coach for us, for use of a better term I’d think about bringing someone in for two years to make some tough decisions.

Des Hasler is another experienced coach on the market.

“Bring someone in that can stabilise them, making tough calls and then that young coach comes in.

“Very hard to go in there right now. Look at the Jason Ryles situation - rookie coach, returning to his home town, junior club, four-year deal - but still turned his back on it.”

Ryles emerged as the club’s priority target, with the Dragons reportedly tabling a four-year $3.2m deal to take over as head coach.

According to Fox League’s James Hooper, club bosses believed the deal was all but signed and secured before receiving a phone call stating Ryles had pulled out of negotiations.

Instead, the rookie coach took a job with the Storm in their pathways and development before he will likely fight to take over from Craig Bellamy when he departs.

Originally published as The ‘tough’ call Dragons bosses must make to sign ‘experienced’ coach in club overhaul